Adjustable dowel arrangement for truck sections



Nov. 5, 1963 Orlginal Filed Oct. 22, 1959 R. C. WILSQN ADJUSTABLE DOWEL ARRANGEMENT FOR TRUCK SECTIONS CHAIN TRAGK i STAGGERED ENDS f FIG. 2

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 TYPICAL TRUNK SECTION INVENTOR Richard 63 Wilson wwjm IVE YS R. c. WILSON 3,109,385 ADJUSTABLE DOWEL ARRANGEMENT FOR TRUCK SECTIONS Nov. 5, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Or1ginal Filed Oct. 22, 1959 5 5 EH: E SE HH- H .Haflana E U U U Nov. 5, 1963 R. c. WILSON 3,109,335

' ADJUSTABLE DOWEL ARRANGEMENT FOR TRUCK SECTIQNS Original Filed Oct. 22, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet s (OF ADJACENT TRUNK SECTION) Nov. 5, 1963 R. c'. WILSON 0 ADJUSTABLE DOWEL ARRANGEMENT FOR TRUCK SECTIONS Onginal Filed Oct. 22, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 TRUNK ECTION TRUNK SECTION United States Patent 3,109,385 ADJUSTABLE DQWEL ARRANGEMENT FOR TRUCK SECTIQNS Richard (J. Wilson, Champlin, Minn, assignor, by memo assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Original application Oct. 22, I959, Ser. No. 848,163. Divided and this application Dec. 21, 1959, Sen No. 861,162

2 Claims. (Cl. 104-94) This invention relates to coupling devices, and more particularly it pertains to an adjustable dowel arrangement for use in coupling sections of a missile Weapon loader trunk or tramline together.

This patent application is a division of US. patent application Serial Number 848,163, filed Oct. 22, 1959, by Myron J. Bauer et al., entitled Guided Missile Launching System.

In present day armament, a loader for a gun has changed from the category of a hoist for projectiles and shells to a tramline for missile weapons. Shipboard installations are now commonly required of such loaders for moving missile weapons from a storage and selection area to a launcher for launching therefrom at a target.

In the parent application mentioned above, there is described in detail a guided missile launching system for storing, selecting, transferring and launching missile weapons. The present invention forms part of this system which is installed aboard a ship or vessel, such as a cruiser.

As is well-known, a lengthy ship or vessel exhibits a visible twist from stem to stern when subjected to the action of the waves. For this reason, it is imperative that any lengthy structure, such as a tramline or trunk installed on shipboard, shall have a high degree of flexibility. Further, if the installation is permitted to become part of the structure of the ship or vessel, severe damaging stresses are sure to occur to the ship itself.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an articulated tramway or tramline having accurate yet flexible couplings between sections thereof and which is well suited for shipboard installation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bearing type of coupling pin for joining a pair of relatively movable structures, such as rail supports, which require alignment.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable dowel arrangement for use in coupling adjacent sections of a loader trunk or tramline together and which will allow such sections to expand and contract along their longitudinal direction.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement for coupling and suporting adjacent sections of a loader trunk or tramline together so as to give the latter a lateral as well as vertical stability.

These and other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent and understood from the accompanying specification and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an end View of a typical trunk section for a loader trunk of a guided missile launching system;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a typical trunk section, such as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of a guided missile loader trunk consisting of multiple trunk sections;

FIG. 4 is a diametric view of a typical trunk section such as shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the bolting thereof to the structure of a ship, with the intercoupling arrangement being shown partly in exploded detail;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross section, partly in elevation, of a novel dowel floating support positioned between adjacent trunk sections;

"ice

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross section, partly in elevation, of a trunk mounting bolt.

Referring now to the details of the drawings, a typical tramway trunk section is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It consists of a pair of rails or skid tracks 2043 and 2650 and a pair of chain tracks 2952 and 2054.. These tracks 2048, 2050, 2052, and 2054 are secured to a rectangular Webbed and gussetted rectangular body 2071. A wide, flared mounting flange 2069 is welded to one end of the body 2071, and a pair of dowel supports 2il76 are installed at the other end thereof.

For a typical overhead tramline loader trunk installation on shipboard, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of typical trunk sections designated by the Roman numerals VIII, II, II, IV, VII, II, IV, IX, and VI, are arranged in series and bolted, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, to a special flange 2370 of an overhead deck beam 2842.

A spacer 2672 with a nominal thickness of one (1) inch is inserted with each bolt 2674- between the mounting fiange 2%9 of the trunk section and a special flange 2976 provided on an overhead deck beam 2642 of the structure of the ship. In this manner, one end of the trunk section is directly supported from the overhead beam 2M2 while the other end of the trunk section is supported by an adjacent trunk section of the series of trunk sec tions. This design gives vertical and lateral stability while allowing the trunk sections to breathe in the longitudinal direction. The entire series of trunk sections make up a loader trunk. Therefore, the loader trunk does not become part of the structure of the ship.

Accuracy of alignment of the series of trunk sections VIII, II, IV, VII, II, IV, IX and VI, as shown in FIG. 2, is determined at installation of the system by bore-sighting from end-to-end and selectively choosing the required thickness of the spacer 2&972.

In FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the construction of special floating dowel supports 2076 between adjacent trunk sections is illustrated in detail. Each dowel support 2076 consists of a square dowel 2989, whose other end is tapered and securely bolted by a bolt 2W8 to the end of the typical trunk section. The square protruding end 2%2 of each dowel 2080, together with four bronze keys 2084, located within a dowel sleeve 2M5 fit into a dowel hole 2086 of the adjacent trunk section.

The keys 2084 are retained in position by a washer 2983 and a screw 2089 which engages in a threaded aperture in the square protruding end 2682 of the dowel. The tapered end or" the dowel Zilfiii is also inserted in a tapered sleeve 20% in the typical trunk section.

Exact alignment between adjacent trunk sections of skid tracks 2943 and 2650 is secured by selective fitting of the dowel keys 268 i. Adjacent trunk sections are matched and properly identified before shipment and installation in the vessel.

An end view and a bottom view of a typical trunk section are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, as previously mentioned. The lengths of the skid tracks 2048 and 26950, and chain tracks N52 and 2954- are such that a nominal 0.125 inch gap exists between adjacent track sections. The skid tracks 2648 and 2050 on each side of the typical trunk section are flush with each other at the ends. This staggered rail end construction has been found beneficial in reducing rail function noise and shock when the transported missile weapons pass thereacross.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

amass-,5

What is claimed is:

1. In a tramway system mounted to a base for transporting objects of various sizes, said base being subjected to structural flexing, at least two elongated spaced structural sections each having a track for the transportation of said objects, said structural sections being arranged in substantially tandem relationship along said base, an end portion or" each of said structural sections being provided' with a flange for rigidly mounting said sections to said base in cantilever fashion with its opposite end being free to move, the free end of each of said structural sections being arranged to be supported by the mounted end of the other of said structural sections, flexible coupling means positioned between said structural sections, said coupling means including at least one aperture located at the free end of one of said structural sections and an aperture provided in the adjacent end of the other of said structural sections, at least one spaced adjustable dowel type element fixedly received in said aperture located at the free end of one of said structural sections and engageably received in said corresponding spaced apertures provided in the adjacent end of the other of said structural sections whereby said flexible coupling means permits said structural sections to expand and contract in their longitudinal or axial direction and exact alignment between adjacent structural sections is obtained.

2. In a vehicle which is subjected to severe structural stressing, a tramway system operably mounted therein for transporting objects within the vehicle, said systems comprising a plurality of adjacent elongated shaped structural sections each having a track portion operably mounted thereon, each of said structural sections having a rigidly supported end and a floating end, each of said structural sections having said supported end secured to the vehicle in a cantilever manner, a flexible coupling means positioned between each floating end and each supported end of adjacent sections in a manner wherein said supported end supports said floating end of the adjacent structural section so as to permit longitudinal motion between adjacent sections thereby permitting operation of the tramway system regardless of the structural stressing of the vehicle, said flexible means comprising at least one dowel support positioned at said floating end of a structural section and engageably received in an aperture provided in the supported end of the adjacent structural section, said dowel support having a square portion which projects into its corresponding aperture, said aperture 7 having a circular cross section, aligning shims interposed References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,785,315 Kennedy Dec. 16, 1930 1,875,535 Whitney Sept. 6, 1932 2,371,907 Moore et al. Mar. 20, 1945 2,931,315 Daigle Apr. 5, 1960 

1. IN A TRAMWAY SYSTEM MOUNTED TO A BASE FOR TRANSPORTING OBJECTS OF VARIOUS SIZES, SAID BASE BEING SUBJECTED TO STRUCTURAL FLEXING, AT LEAST TWO ELONGATED SPACED STRUCTURAL SECTIONS EACH HAVING A TRACK FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF SAID OBJECTS, SAID STRUCTURAL SECTIONS BEING ARRANGED IN SUBSTANTIALLY TANDEM RELATIONSHIP ALONG SAID BASE, AN END PORTION OF EACH OF SAID STRUCTURAL SECTIONS BEING PROVIDED WITH A FLANGE FOR RIGIDLY MOUNTING SAID SECTIONS TO SAID BASE IN CANTILEVER FASHION WITH ITS OPPOSITE END BEING FREE TO MOVE, THE FREE END OF EACH OF SAID STRUCTURAL SECTIONS BEING ARRANGED TO BE SUPPORTED BY THE MOUNTED END OF THE OTHER OF SAID STRUCTURAL SECTIONS, FLEXIBLE COUPLING MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID STRUCTURAL SECTIONS, SAID COUPLING MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE APERTURE LOCATED AT THE FREE END OF ONE OF SAID STRUCTURAL SECTIONS AND AN APERTURE PROVIDED IN THE ADJACENT END OF THE OTHER OF OF SAID STRUCTURAL SECTIONS, AT LEAST ONE SPACED ADJUSTABLE DOWEL TYPE ELEMENT FIXEDLY RECEIVED IN SAID APERTURE LOCATED AT THE FREE END OF ONE OF SAID STRUCTURAL SECTIONS AND ENGAGEABLY RECEIVED IN SAID CORRESPONDING SPACED APERTURES PROVIDED IN THE ADJACENT END OF THE OTHER OF SAID STRUCTURAL SECTIONS WHEREBY SAID FLEXIBLE COUPLING MEANS PERMITS SAID STRUCTURAL SECTIONS TO EXPAND AND CONTRACT IN THEIR LONGITUDINAL OR AXIAL DIRECTION AND EXACT ALIGNMENT BETWEEN ADJACENT STRUCTURAL SECTIONS IS OBTAINED. 